The Pennsylvania Forest Heritage Association opens the Forest Heritage Discovery Center at Caledonia State Park from Memorial Day to Labor Day weekend. We are open on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and holidays. Here are the signup schedules:

The annual meeting of the Pennsylvania Forest Heritage Association was held on November 12, 2016 at the Caledonia State Park Office Conference Room. Twenty members were in attendance. Some things of note that occurred at the meeting were:

The board of directors are seeking comments from the membership on the wording of the mission statement (found at the end of the winter 2016 newsletter). Since the name change is official the statement should reflect that.

Jim Hyland from the Bureau of Forestry in District 12 is heading the BOF Forest History Committee.

The Golf Outing will be held June 23, 2017.

The Association received and opened the photo collection of Thomas C. Harbison, a graduate of Mont Alto and a former State Representative.

During the year the Discovery Center had more than 1,300 visitors.

Joseph Dague receives the George Wirt award.

If you stop by the Discovery Center on a regular basis you are likely to run into Joe Dague. Joe is tireless in his volunteer efforts to promote PFHA, and for his outstanding efforts he was presented with the 2016 George H. Wirt Award for his work on behalf of the mission of the association. Joe is pictured above with Jack Graham who presented the award

Yesterday’s Smokey Bear birthday party at the Forest Heritage Center at Caledonia State Park was a great success. Over 115 people came to wish Smokey a Happy Birthday and learn a little about wildfire safety and the story of forest conservation in Pennsylvania. Given that it was a perfect sunny Sunday afternoon, there were many visitors at the park, including families with children.

Birthday cake

First visitors

Welcome

Thinking

Helping out

Goodies

Many thanks to our sponsors: Walmart for the cake and sub, and McDonald’s for the drinks.

We will be celebrating the birthday of Smokey Bear on Sunday, August 7 at the Forest Heritage Center from noon to 5pm. There will be games and refreshments. And rumor has it that the guest of honor himself will be there!

Last Friday, June 24th, the Pennsylvania Forest Heritage Association and Pennsylvania Forestry Association Golf Tournament was held at Rich Valley Golf Course in Mechanicsbug. Forty golfers enjoyed the near perfect weather for a great afternoon of golf. This year the net proceeds from the tournament will be dedicated to improving the displays at the Forest Heritage Discovery Center at Caledonia State Park.

In the collection of the PFHA are many of the annual reports submitted by the Pennsylvania Department of Forestry in its first few decades. These are hardbound books of varying thicknesses.

In the 1916-17 report there is a section on THE GREAT WAR. I thought it was appropriate to highlight as we are now in the centennial of the First World War. Here is the opening paragraph:

The entrance of the Government of the United States into the German War on April 6, 1917, was the signal for many of the foresters, former foresters, students, and employes (sic) to think of immediate entry into the service and were accepted as rapidly as they offered themselves. The majority entered by voluntary enlistment. Their names, ranks, and units of service are indicated in the following table:

There followed a list of 41 men, including Edwin A. Ziegler, who was the Director of the Forest Academy at Mont Alto. The names of six Mont Alto students who had enlisted in the Army were listed subsequently.

This year’s Golf Tournament will be at Rich Valley Golf Course on Friday, June 24th rain or shine. Click here for the tournament flyer and all the information you need to play or sponsor.

We changed the name of the Pennsylvania Forest Fire Museum Association to better define our mission which is to tell the story of Forestry in Pennsylvania. Our new name is the Pennsylvania Forest Heritage Association.
Our Forest Heritage Discovery Center is located in Caledonia State Park. The Center is open every Saturday, Sunday, and major holiday; Memorial Day through Labor Day. Throughout the year, we take tour requests from school groups and special interest organizations. Last year we had over 1500 visitors. The revenue we receive from the golf outing goes to the Discovery Center to further educate the public. Last year we held a birthday party for Smokey Bear where children and adults alike learned about wildfire prevention and wildfire suppression in PA. This year the golf outing revenue will go towards construction of new displays for the Center.
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One of the biggest projects of the PA Forest Heritage Association is volunteering at the Discovery Center at Caledonia State Park. The season goes from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day. Serving as a museum volunteer is a great way to learn more about Pennsylvania’s forest conservation heritage and meet interesting people. New volunteers will work with trained guides to learn the ropes. For more information fill out the form on the Contact page or email info@paforestheritage.com